Book-sewing machine



Dec 26, 1944. H. SIEB BOOK SEWING MACHINE Filed 001;. 6, 1942 5Sheets-sheaf, l

Dec. 26, 1944. H. suzs BOOK SEWING MACHINE Filed 00%. 6, 1942 Deco 261944 H. $IEB 2,366,064

BOOK SEWING MACHINE Filed Oct. 6, 1942 3 sheets sheet 5 A III I aPatented Dec. 26, 1944 UNITED STATES "PATENT. OFFICE BOOK-SEWING MACHINEHenry Sieb, Hammond, Ind.

Application October 6, 1942, Serial No. 461,013

books B and delivering the books, opened in in- 3 Claims.

It has long been common practice to secure together the sections of thinbooks, such as work books for children and magazines that are long andwide, but fairly thin, by means of metal staples. While this expedienthas not been wholly satisfactory, the low cost of stapling made thistype of fastening attractive during ordinary peace conditions. Nowhowever, since the steel that is thus consumed in the form of staplescan be used to better advantage for more essential things, it isdesirable that the more effective securing means, comprising acontinuous line of stitching along the fold of the book sections, beadopted.

The object of the present invention is to make it possible to sew booksof the aforesaid type speedily, effectively, and at a minimum cost.

Machines now in use for automatically stapling together book sectionsare expensive, and it is an object of my invention to make it possibleto convert them quickly and at a moderate cost into machines that willsew books.

Thus, for example, one machine contains a very elaborate and efficientmechanism, including an endless conveyer, for assembling book sectionsand delivering them to the stapling mechanism, together with othermechanisms for carrying the stapled books away anddischarging them. Bymy invention these mechanisms are retained intact, except the staplingmechanism for which a:

novel sewing and edge binding means are substituted.

The various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterizedwill hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but,

for a full understanding of my invention and of its objects andadvantages, reference may be .had to the following detailed descriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a book stapling machine converted intoone that sews books in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a sideview of a fragment of the machine, on a larger scale than Fig. 1,illustrating the sewing and binding mechanisms; Fig. 3 is a section online 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a section on a still larger scale on line44 of Fig. 2; Fig. '5 is a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 2, in the samescale as Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is an edge viewof one end of a book sewed andbound in accordance with my invention; and Fig. 7 is a section throughthe book along the center, illustrating the stitching throughout afragment of the book.

Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings, l is a sewing machine which maybe f any suitable standard or preferred type. All of the parts of themachine to the right of the sewing machine are those now present inamachine for the purpose of assembling book sections A into so-calledverted V shape, to the stapling operation. There is only one part ofthese parts to which particular reference need be made, namely theendless conveyer on which the assemblies are made and by which they arecarried to the sewing machine, in the present instance. This conveyer,as shown in Figs. 1 and 2', comprises an endless chain 2, on theexterior of which are short saddle sections 3 approximately triangularin cross-section. These sections, along the upper horizontal run of theconveyer, are positioned end to end to form, in effect, a continuousridge of inverted V shape. On the conveyer are lugs or pins 4 projectingabove the saddle sections to engage the trailing ends of the booksections or assemblies thereof to move them along.

The conveyer stops short of the sewing machine and close to one end of ahollow stationary saddle bar 5 of inverted V shape which is aligned withthe upper run of the conveyer, or creeping saddle bar 3, and forms, ineffect, a continuation of the latter, The axis of the sewing machineneedle 6, as shown in Figs. 2 and 6, lies in the vertical planeextending lengthwise of the stationary saddle bar at the center thereof.The bar 5 has in the top 'a window 1 for the passage of the needle andto expose the upper end of the work support 8 of the sewing machine. Theparts are so proportioned that the advance end of each book reaches thesewing machine while the trailing edge is still in engagement with adriving pin or projection, or rather with two of them as they arearranged in pairs. After the sewing machine takes hold, the book is fedonward thereby as the sewing progresses.

As the advance end of a book leaves the sew ing machine it is engaged bypairs of feed rollers distributed along the stationary saddle bar. Asbest shown in Figs. 2 and 4, each pair of rollers comprises a lowerroller 9 mounted within the saddle bar and extending up through a windowIn in the latter, and an upper roller Ii above the bar. The lowerrollers have peripheral marginal portions l2 that are V shaped in radialsection, so that continuations of the slopingfaces of the bar aretangent to these frustoconical portions of the rollers. The rollers, ll, on the other hand contain deep circumferential V grooves I4 intowhich the ridge portion of the bar and the cooperating edge portions ofthe lower rollers extend. The upper rollers do not contact either thesaddle bar or the lower rollers, a sufficient clearance being left forthe reception of the mar ginal portions of the books along the backedges.

The rollers 9 and H serve as. feed rollers to carry the books along tothe discharge end C of the machine. after they leave the sewing machine.Therefore, since books of different kinds are not all of the samethickness, means are provided to adjust the rollers to adapt them to thethickness of the particular books that are being sewed. This can best beaccomplished by mounting the upper rollers so that they may be shiftedup or down, as a unit.

In the arrangement shown, each of the rollers l l lies in front of aframe comprising two parallel horizontal bars extending longitudinallyof the machine and spaced apart from each other by blocks l6 disposedbetween corresponding nds and serving as nuts through which verticalcrews I? pass. Each of these rbllers is fixed to the forward end of ashaft l8 that extends through and is rotatable in both of thelongitudinal mem bers of the frame. Fixed on each of these shafts,

between the two bars I5, is a pinion l9. Between and meshing withconsecutive pinions are placed idle pinions also rotatably supported bythe frame. The roller shaft at one end of the series is continuedrearwardly and may be driven in L any suitable manner, not shown.

The screws I! extend freely through forwardlyprojecting arms 22 on theupper ends of upright standards 24 in rear of the machines; there beinga bevel gear wheel 25 on each screw above the corresponding supportingarm. The wheels 25 are connected together to rotate in unison with eachother by complementary wheels 26 mounted on the ends of a horizontalshaft 21 rotatably supported by brackets 28 rising from the arms 22. Oneof the screws I1 is continued upwardly beyond its gear wheel and isprovided with a hand wheel 29 for turning the same. It will be seen thatby turning the hand wheel the upper set of feed rollers may beaccurately adjusted up or down as occasion demands.

The feed rollers also serve another, important purpose, namely that ofapplying a binding strip to the sewn edges of the books. To this end Ihave provided means to feed a strip D of paper, cloth or other suitablematerial, with an adhesive coating on its under face, over the top andlengthwise of the stationary saddle bar, at a point between the sewingneedle and the first pair of feed rollers. The strip does not contacteither the saddle bar or the lower rollers which are cov ered by thebooks passing over the same; but it is deformed by the upper, groovedrollers, engaging the uncoated face thereof, into an inverted trough thesides or walls of which are pressed into intimate engagement with theridges along the sewn edges of the books and with the marginal portionsof the outer faces of the books along such edges. By this means I securea very effective edge bindmg.

Any suitable means may be employed to deliver the binding strip readyfor binding to the books; a simple means for this purpose beingillustrated more or less conventionally. The strip is shown as beinginitially in the form of a roll that is suitaby supported adjacent to areceptacle 30 for containing a liquid adhesive or a liquid to moisten agum coating already on the strip, as the case may be. The strip iscarried past and in contact with a roller 3| that takes liquid from thereceptacle and wets one side of the strip therewith. Running the stripover suitable guide rollers, 32, if such be needed, the free end isfinally carried underneath a final guide roller 33 supported by abracket 34 on the end of one of the frame members 15 at the inlet end ofthe feed rollers for the books.

The presence of the binding strip enables me successfully to employ achain stitch which normally can be pulled out easily. However, as shownin Figs. 6 and 7, the entire line of strands along the outer side of theback edge of a book, forming parts of the stitches E, are bonded to thebinding strip and cannot be loosened without taking off the strip anddestroying the glue layer.

The thread and the binding strip may be out between consecutive books atany desired point and in any suitable way, preferably before the booksreach the distributing mechanism C in the type of machine illustrated.

It will thus be seen that I have produced a simple and novel mechanismfor sewing books and for binding them and, especially, mechanism forthat purpose for readily converting existing stapling machines. It willalso be seen that through my invention a simple chain stitch can be madeto serve as adequately as the more complex lock stitch. Furthermore,books of thicknesses varying over a wide range may be handledefficiently by making a simple adjustment of the feed rollers andwithout removing or replacing any parts.

While I have illustrated and described with particularity only a singlepreferred form of my invention, I do not desire to be limited to theexact structural details thus illustrated and described; but intend tocover all forms and arrangements which come within the definitions of myinvention constituting the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination, a saddle bar for supporting an open book in invertedV shape hung over the same, a sewing machine for sewing the book alongthe line of folds therein while on the bar, a series of rollers aboveand distributed along the bar from a point near the output side of thesewing machine and each having a circumferential V groove into which theridge of the bar projects, means simultaneously to raise and lower thesaid rollers and means to feed a binding strip into the space betweenthe roller and the bar and in contact with books on the bar.

2. In combination, a saddle bar for supporting an open book in invertedV shape hung over the same, a sewing machine at one end of the bar tosew the book along the line of folds therein while on the bar, rollersextending up through the bar at intervals and each having the samemarginal contour on a plane at right angles to the bar as that of thetop of the main portions of the bar, and cooperating rollers above theaforesaid rollers having in the peripheries circumferential V groovescomplementary to and embracing the tops of the lower rollers.

3. In combination, a saddle bar for supporting an open book in invertedV shape hung over the same, a sewing machine at one end of the bar tosew the books along the line of folds therein while on the bar, rollersextending up through the bar at intervals and each having the samemarginal contour on a plane at right angles to the bar as that of thetop of the main portions of the bar, cooperatingrollers above theaforesaid rollers having in the peripheries circumferential V groovescomplementary to and embracing the tops of the lower rollers, and meansto shift the upper rollers up and down to compensate for differentthicknesses of books.

HENRY SIEB.

